Beth stood in the driveway of Jessica’s impressive house and looked up at the vast building. The driveway, perfectly manicured flowerbeds and potted evergreen trees lined the path up to the front door and two large cars were parked at the front.

It had only taken ten minutes on the bus to get to the edge of town and Beth only had a short walk from the bus stop to Jessica’s house. Her tummy complained as it had been in knots since Jess had invited her over.

“My parent’s want your perspective” – Jessica’s text still reverberated in her mind.

“What perspective can I bring?” Beth thought to herself as she walked slowly up the path to their front door, “I might be the same age as Jess, but the similarity ends there. She’s probably had her choice of boyfriends growing up and I’ve just got my first. She’s pregnant and unless I really misunderstood sex education classes, I’m certainly not.”

She rang the doorbell, nervously rubbing her hands together and worried who would greet her at the door.

The front door slowly opened and Jess stood there in the hallway, a tired smile on her lips, eyes puffy and red from crying and her hair pulled back into a rough ponytail, with strands of hair sticking to her wet face.

“Come in, B – thanks for coming.” She croaked and Beth walked slowly into the hallway, looking up to the grand wooden staircase on her right hand side and down into the hallway, following the black and white checkered floor tiles. Beth immediately felt out of place in such a beautiful home and the differences between her and Jessica never felt more real to Beth.

“I … I still don’t really know what I’m doing here .. “ she began, “I mean, of course, I really want to be there for you Jess … but I really thought I’d be intruding or something.”

Jess smiled and rubbed Beth’s arm reassuringly, “My folks have seen a big change in me since you and I became friends, Beth. I think they’re keen for you to be part of this because they want to see our friendship continue. I think dad’s listened to us chat in the car and you’ve obviously made a good impression.”

Beth blushed a little, flattered at her parent’s good opinion of her and was now a little more anxious at making sure she lived up to it. She could hear voices coming from behind a large wooden door just off the hallway and assumed this was the lounge.

Jessica led them through the hallway and in through the door. Beth was a little surprised to be taken into another small hallway and then a very large kitchen. The white units and grey marble worktops gleamed and she could smell fish and chips.  She could hear her parents talking and anxiety rose in her throat as she wondered what on earth they would make of this huge girl coming into their home, making the place look untidy.

Jessica’s mother stood on the far side of the kitchen unwrapping chips from the paper and placing them on plates situated on the large island in the middle of the room. She looked up and smiled warmly at Beth, with no glimmer of reaction at Beth’s size. “Hello, my darling. You have great timing Beth, Frank has just come back with these. I hope you like fish, we ordered that for you? Oh, my name is Penny by the way. Sorry, where are my manners?”

Beth smiled her approval at the choice of dinner and said a quiet hello and then she walked further into the kitchen. Beth could see where Jessica got her good looks from. Her mother was slim, with long brown hair, just greying at the temples. She moved with grace and wore white slim jeans and a blue and white striped top. Beth couldn’t help but compare their mothers for a moment. Jessica’s mum obviously wore clothes that came with an impressive price tag, but weren’t flashy or overtly fashionable, they were simple and elegant. Beth’s mum however prided herself in having a wardrobe stacked high with charity shop and bargain section clothes that were ill-fitting and ill advised for a woman of her age.

“I would shake your hand, my dear but I’m afraid they’re covered in grease from these. Let’s eat these in the den, shall we?” Her mother politely continued and passing Beth a plate of food, they all made their way into the next room.

Beth cautiously followed Jessica into a cream lounge with chocolate coloured large corner sofas on either side of the room with a large TV in another corner. The far wall housed an impressive fireplace with logs stacked high on either side. The room looked elegant but homely and Beth could tell they spent much of their time in that room as a family. No front room for guests in this house, they had invited Beth into the heart of their home like a family member.

Beth sat down on the far corner sofa next to Jess. She noticed how little food Jess had on her plate and guessed she wasn’t hungry after an emotional day.

Jessica’s parents sat opposite, each with a little tray on their laps and Frank, her father tucked straight into his meal. Penny delicately picked through her food with her fork and politely began a conversation with Beth.

“Jessica talks about you constantly, Beth.”

Beth blushed a little and smiled, “I suppose we make an unlikely pairing!” she commented.

Her mum laughed and Beth immediately recognized the laugh, another thing Jess had inherited from her mother.

“Nonsense,” her mum began, “Kindred spirits come in all shapes and sizes. I was large in school, Beth. I should show you some pictures. My mother had to make my clothes for me I was so big. I once broke a school bench because I sat down too quickly. The bullying carried on all the way through school and only stopped when I went to college and lost weight.”

“Really?” Beth began, fascinated by the fact that this beautifully toned and slim woman could ever be large.

Jess joined in the conversation, “I’ve seen pictures of mum when she was about 13. She really was huge Beth. Much, much larger than you.”

“So … how did you lose the weight?” Beth asked politely.

“Well, the health centre at the college was great and I saw a dietitian and a fitness instructor. I had terrible trouble with my knees and back so I needed to do something about it rapidly. I also started playing netball and carried that on all the way through university.  The weight fell off me and I don’t allow myself to slip into my old ways. It’s hard work though when you’re naturally meant to be big.”

Beth looked confused, but Jess explained, “See the pic up there?” and she pointed to a photograph of a very large, round couple on a shelf behind them with a young girl stood in front of them and it looked like they were at the beach. The young girl was large too and from the colour of the photo and the fashion they were wearing Beth thought it looked like it had been taken in the early 1970’s.  “That’s mum with her parents on Broad Haven Beach in Pembrokeshire. You can see my Nana and Grampy were big too. I follow my dad, so I’m lucky I don’t have the same battle my mum did growing up.”

Beth looked back at Penny and smiled, Jessica’s mum was staring at the photo whimsically and Beth saw her smile to herself, seemingly recalling happy memories from that day in the photograph.

They continued to make small-talk through the meal with Frank, Jessica’s father interjecting with anecdotes from his days training as a student teacher. Beth laughed freely with them and could see why Jessica made friends so easily. Her parents were perfectly amiable and provided a great example for Jess on how to put people at ease. Beth could not reconcile how Jessica came to be part of the Clone group as it seemed so at odds with her home-life and background.

With the dinner plates cleared away and holding onto a glass of lemonade, Frank broached the subject first.

“So, Beth. What do you make of all this then with our Jessica?”

“H-H-How do you mean?” Beth asked nervously, genuinely not understanding the question.

“Well…” he began, seriously, “What would you do in Jessica’s situation?”

Beth thought carefully for a moment but responded with the first thing that came into her head, “I don’t think that’s a fair question, Mr Halliwell … I mean, Frank. I’m not Jessica, so I can’t answer that. Whatever Jess decides, I’ll be there with her. Whether it’s as she becomes a mother, or whether it’s when she’s made a very difficult decision to have the pregnancy terminated. Either way, she will need emotional support.”

Jessica’s mum smiled and stared into space, considering Beth’s response. Frank nodded approvingly and said, “Well, I suppose it wasn’t a fair question, you’re right. I just … well, we’re all just a little shell-shocked about all this. Trying to wrap our heads around it. No parent imagines their child going through this at such an early age. On the cusp of starting sixth form, A’levels and UCAS applications was all I was prepared for … not the possibility of nappies and nipple cream.”

“DAD!” yelled Jessica, making Beth jump a little as she’d been so quiet sat on the end of the sofa. “You’re so embarrassing. Nipple cream, really?”

“There’s lots of things about being a new mum you will learn about … well, you know … if we keep the little thing.” Her mum said warmly, looking at Jessica’s tummy. It appeared she was already bonding with the grandchild nestled inside Jessica.

“Want to see the scan?” Jess asked nervously, passing a card to Beth.

She took it and opened the card up. After studying the black, grey and white image she realised what she was looking at. A side-on image of something that looked like a baby, only with less well defined limbs. Beth studied it, trying to comprehend that this little thing was growing inside her friend.

“It’s tiny, Beth. But … a baby. I didn’t expect to see something looking like that inside me. Not yet. I expected to see like a kidney bean or something non-identifiable. Not human looking. Not yet.”

Beth looked at the scan again and then looked up at her parents. Silence fell upon the room like a shroud and Jessica’s eyes filled with tears again.

“Look Jess, I’m not an expert and I’m sure you’ve had all sorts of people telling you all sorts of things today … but … to terminate a kidney bean, in your mind is something you could almost comprehend, yeah? But … to terminate this, after seeing it as a definite baby… I really wouldn’t be able to make that decision, Jess. Only you can … and by the look of it, I think you’ve already made your mind up but to say it out loud is too terrifying, yeah?”

Jess nodded, eyes staring wildly into space, not daring to look at her parents. To have Beth explain it so plainly and explicitly had jolted them all and the shroud was lifted, creating an odd, uncomfortable atmosphere as her parents waited for Jessica’s response. Beth stole a glance over to her parents and could see her mother was also reaching for a tissue from the side table next to her. Her father remained stoic but his expression had softened at the sight of his distressed daughter.

“I … I … I can’t decide to … go through with something like that. They told me what it would, you know … involve at this stage. By the time I would be in hospital, it would be … oh God, I’ve seen the growth charts on the internet and … well, it would be a proper shaped baby, able to feel … oh God, Beth. I can’t. I can’t I just can’t.” Jess shook uncontrollably and Beth immediately slid over to her on the sofa and gathered her up in her arms and let Jessica weep unashamedly on her shoulder.

Beth looked up again at Jessica’s parents. They were staring at each other, unspoken words in their expressions and loving resignation in their eyes. Frank got up from the sofa, walked over to Jess and sat on the arm of the sofa next to where she was sitting, leaning into Beth.

“Jessica, love. Darling. We needed to hear you say it, my sweet. That awful scan today, your mum told me what it involved. That must have been so difficult for you and then to go through that pain, then to see that little child inside you …” Frank’s voice broke as he took the card from Jessica’s limp hand. As he opened it up, he looked at the scan and smiled softly, “We will help you, sweetheart. Whatever it takes. You won’t be the first teenager to become a mum and you will certainly not be the last. You will never, ever be alone.”

Jessica looked up at her father, tears streaked down her perfect face and Beth let got of her and Jessica leaned over to be held by her father.

Beth looked up at Jessica’s mother. She smiled appreciatively at Beth, mouthing “thank you” as she dried her tears. Then she too crossed over to their sofa to hold her child. Beth moved back to where she had been sitting on the other side of the corner sofa and watched as her parents enveloped Jess.

Moment’s later she heard Jess giggle, “Mum … dad … can’t breathe!” and her parents loosened their hold on her. Her dad gave her a kiss on the top of her head and went back to his spot on the opposite sofa.

Penny remained cuddled up to Jess, idly smoothing her hair down as if Jess was a toddler.  Jessica looked up to Beth and smiled. “Leave it to you to spell it out, B!”

Beth blushed and her face fell, “I’m so sorry. I – I – I just didn’t know what to say, so saying the obvious seemed the most … well, obvious thing to say. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Jess laughed softly, sniffing slightly and wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “We’ve been circling around saying it out loud, B. I couldn’t admit that I wanted to keep the baby because I knew what it would mean in the long run…”

“And we didn’t want to say to Jess that terminating a child would haunt her for the rest of her life, especially after seeing its development on the scan and seeing how it touched Jess so profoundly when she saw it on the screen.” Her mum interrupted, “The moment the sonographer pointed out the heart beating and even though Jess was in a lot of pain from the internal scan, I could see the love that only a mother can give to a child. I wouldn’t have been able to stand seeing Jess annihilated by making the decision to terminate thinking it was what we wanted.”

Jess held her mother’s hand and sighed.

“So, what now?” Beth asked, trying to move the conversation onto a more practical and positive topic.

Frank cleared his throat and it sounded like he was reading from a list, “Well, we register the pregnancy with our family GP, get Jess in with the midwifery unit, more bloods and urine tests, speak to the school about arranging rest breaks for Jess during exams as she’ll be more tired than other pupils – see it all the time at my college – and … oh yeah, keep that worthless piece of shit out of Jessica’s life forever if I had my way. But Jess insisted on sending him a pic of the scan.”

Beth’s eyes darted quickly back to Jessica, “What? You did what? WHEN?” she asked, a little too hysterically.

Jess moved back uneasily on the sofa looking sheepish, “I – I – my head was in a spin. I saw the scan and I was still crying and in pain from them sticking that bloody great big thing up my ..”

“Ahem!” her father quickly interjected.  

“Well, you get the picture, B … anyway, I was in a state and I thought that if I was going through this shit, like a fucking tornado ripping through my life and he was probably doing the nasty with Lucy at that moment in time … well, I thought a picture of the scan would give him a glimpse into the shit-laden fuck-fest that my life was in!”

“Language Jessica,” her mum cautioned, but the futility of her words demonstrated that Jessica’s parents shared her daughter’s fury.

Jessica passed her phone to Beth after finding the text message.

Beth could see the picture of the scan with the message accompanying it, “10 weeks gone, 1st time with you at the party, I told you this baby was yours. If you want to be part of the decision, you need to talk to me. I’m going insane with this on my own and we are both responsible for this.”

Beth looked up to Jess and shook her head, “Oh Jess. No reply from him?”

This time Frank answered, bitterness and rage boiling under his usually calm demeanour, taking Beth quite by surprise, “Scroll further down, Bethany … his response is quite something.”

Beth dutifully scrolled down the message and she could see quite clearly Michael’s response, in capitals in all its hateful precision.

“NOT MINE. CAN’T BE. I SHAGGED LUCY THAT NITE 2 WHILE U UPSTAIRS CLEANING SHIT UP. SHE NOT PREGNANT. HOW DO I KNOW U DIDN’T SHAG SOME1 ELSE? U GAVE IT UP SO FAST, U BOUND 2B A SLAPPER. FUCK OFF + STOP BOTHERING ME WITH THIS SHIT.”

Beth read it again, not knowing what part of the text to respond to first.

“So … he thinks that because he didn’t make another girl pregnant that night, it can’t be his? Oh, Lucy’s a great pal, isn’t she?”

Jess nodded slowly, the hurt and disbelief warping her normally perfect face.

“He, he said I gave it up so fast Beth … but … I didn’t want to, I told him I didn’t but he said he’d finish with me and tell everyone I was a lesbian. I thought I loved him and …w-w-went along with it. He said he loved me …” and she started weeping softly again.

“Most boys are dickheads!” her mum began, “I grew up with them, see them all the time in the church and most of them turn into dickhead adults too.”

Jess laughed and looked at Beth, “My mum, the model church warden, eh?”

Beth smiled and Penny continued, “I went to school with his dad. He was a nasty piece of work, bullied so many younger boys and not just physical bullying and name calling, really vindictive stuff. He wanted to show them he dominated them, he wanted to feel more powerful and wanted them to know it too. I hear he’s the same as an adult too. It says entrepreneur on his business cards apparently. I dare say “hoodlum thug” doesn’t have the same ring to it. With that example of a father, it’s no wonder Michael is such a dickhead. Best you know now, baby. He’s out of the picture and we will all deal with this together, OK?”

Jess nodded slowly and sadly.

“Jess?” Beth asked conversationally, “Can I ask you a question … oh and make a request?”

Jessica looked over and smiled, “Yeah, sure.”

“Well,” Beth began, “My request is … can you never, ever ask me to change a nappy? Unless you want to be mopping up sick everywhere, I’d advise against it.”

Jess laughed and her parents smiled, all of them seemed to be grateful to have a little injection of humour into the conversation as they were all emotionally drained.

“Oh … and I’d make a great Godmother!”